Vladimir Putin is more than a year into his third term as president of Russia, and he is likely to dominate the country's next decade as he dominated the lastjust as Joseph Stalin and Leonid Brezhnev dominated their own times in the Kremlin. Like Putin or loathe him, he embodies an era.

But centuries from now, the history books will barely remember the human rights abuses or oil pipelines in today's coverage of Russia. Mr. Putin will be remembered for one thing only: missing the chance to save his nation from a lingering decline.

The United Nations predicts that, by 2050, there will be 116 million people in Russia, a drop of 30 million in the half-century from 2000, when Mr. Putin was elected president. That drop in numbers is roughly equivalent to the entire population of Canada.

And teh situation is better for Russia and worse for Iran than it seems; most Russian women are older, and so those who are still fertile are having enough babies to make up for it. On the other hand, very few women in Iran are elderly.

8
posted on 05/04/2013 2:06:05 PM PDT
by dangus
(Poverty cannot be eradicated as long as the poor remain dependent on the state - Pope Francis)

All credibility dropped into an abyss when they wrote the phrase The UN predicts.

Assuredly, in addition, the Russians and Chinese have begun to kick around the UN at their pleasure with Security Council vetoes recently, and have received backing from several rotating Security Council members.

The UN sees the handwriting on the wall.

Russia is the first to attempt coming back from Communism, we have yet to see how long it takes or if it can be done, but I'm sure this has more to do with Russia's state than failure to kiss UN rear has.

16
posted on 05/04/2013 2:56:49 PM PDT
by Navy Patriot
(Join the Democrats, it's not Fascism when WE do it, and the Constitution and law mean what WE say.)

It's NOT just Russia - this happening almost everywhere EXCEPT 3rd world and Muslim countries.

In 200 years there won't be enough Germans in Germany to keep the language alive. Same for the rest of Europe - add enough Muslims to France and France becomes a Muslim country. All the artistry of the French will be gone...Hugarians and Brits are dying out too.

Democrats are working at bringing millions of 3rd world people here... millions who bring their cultures with them. Put enough poor Mexicans in the US and we become Mexico - gangs, poverty, elites and very poor - almost no middle class. Should be fun. Want to bring children up in that world? Cultures vote with their hopes and dreams - or the lack of hopes and dreams...

It's call cultural suicide. It's a form of genocide...

The difference in the US is our liberal elites - our Politically Correct ones - are for it. Poor dependent third world types vote democrat... well, until there's enough of them - then they dump the liberal elite old white guys.. bye bye Biden...and vote in the kinds of people who run the countries they came from...

Suicide among white middle class men is climbing - and the desire to create a family by white middle class women is falling. Our liberal elites are cheering - soon we'll be a 'brown' country. As if there aren't any brown countries in the world... Cultural suicide... genocide by any other name...

I would argue that Putin knows and understands the problem but lacks the means to remedy it. The people have destroyed Mother Russia by giving up. There is no means of advancement in a country lacking the ability to manufacture those things present elsewhere. It’s cool to pretend you are worldly. It is yet another thing to be on par with the truly worldly.

Putin has turned to his only real strength, arms. He has pushed the manufacture and sales of arms because so far as industry goes, arms are his strong suit.

Back when, Russia was given the option to import capital and manufacturing but stole the money and rejected the work. China was given the same opportunity and has thrived. Russians lack the individual initiative present in the Chinese and are in decline.

Then there is Boston. How many have found that life in near commuist Boston is preferable to life in a country without roads?

28
posted on 05/05/2013 7:23:49 AM PDT
by bert
((K.E. N.P. N.C. +12 .....History is a process, not an event)

It looks like Russia is a stereotypical boogey forever.
Academia and media types are always pointing at it on this and that.
The reality is Russian demographics is same or better comparing to most industrialized nations.
Most other stereotypes aren’t actually fit post-Soviet Russia as well.
Today they are by far not the most drinking nation, their abortion rates decreased sixfold since 1992 too.
There aren’t bread lines and food shortages, no bears in the streets.
And they have a population growth for a few years and counting, too.

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